Alain Vigneault will switch up his power-play alignments and his goaltenders on Tuesday in Columbus. The Vancouver Canucks coach also needs to switch up the team's lethargic starts and lack of finish to keep the vultures away. (Getty Images via National Hockey League).

Three things to ponder following the Canucks’ 4-2 loss to the Wild on Sunday in Minnesota:

1. IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME: One of the first television images prior to the puck drop Sunday was a smiling and chuckling Alain Vigneault at the bench, perhaps encouraging a more cordial relationship with referees Paul Devorski and Chris Lee in the hope that his long-struggling team wouldn’t get the short end of the officiating stick. The last image was of the befuddled bench boss in a post-game media scrum wondering how the Canucks got off to another slow start and what adjustments could correct an 0-for-23 power play. And because the Canucks have just three wins in their last dozen games after getting off to an 8-2-2 start — and also slipping to sixth spot in the Western Conference after the lethargic loss in Minnesota — the vultures are starting to circle.

I expected more accountability from Vigneault on Sunday or at least to get out in front of a coaching story that will continue to evolve if there’s not a turnaround in team performance. I expected to hear: “We’ve got to be better prepared. We’ve got to do a better job as coaches.” And while the pleas of “my bad” and “mea culpa” may ring hollow, there has to be the sense that it’s a matter of adjustment and not a bad roster that has brought the Canucks to this point. Ryan Kesler and David Booth weren’t there to start the season, but the goaltending was and so was Kevin Bieksa. He’s never looked so good because the Canucks are 0-6 in his absence and have turned to collective mush by coughing up countless odd-man rushes and shoddy down-low coverage.

So, what do you do as a coach? How about getting the team back to its identity? How about using team speed to get through the neutral zone and get pucks in deep? How about being so tenacious in the offensive zone that the opposition has no choice but to take penalties? And how about getting some semblance of puck movement and finish on the power play? Nobody fears taking a penalty against the Canucks so face-washing or punching the Sedins could become the norm. The first line has to be the first power play choice and expect that Tuesday in Columbus. And get some speed and grit on the second unit in Mason Raymond, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen. Let Alex Edler pound away from the point on the first power play — he might hit the net — and allow Jason Garrison to do the same on the second. He did ring a howitzer off the crossbar Sunday.

If outright urgency, tweaking special teams and better goaltending aren’t realized and the Canucks limp home, they’ll have a bigger problem. So will the coach. Everybody seems just a little bit too comfortable. Maybe that’s because nobody paid the price for that five-game playoff exit last spring. If this continues for too long, somebody will. Somebody will have to.

2. RIDDLE IN MIDDLE: It started with an offseason pursuit of Tyler Bozak, morphed into several speculated trade scenarios and wound up as a centres-by-committee approach to plug The Great Ryan Kesler Hole. The end result has proved that a long-standing NHL belief carries much merit. It’s all about strength down the middle and if you don’t have good goaltending and good centres, you’re not going to travel far down the playoff role. Coaches look great when all that’s in place. They look ordinary when it isn’t. The Canucks have auditioned Alex Burrows, Jordan Schroeder, Andrew Ebbett and Mason Raymond as temporary second-line fixes with Kesler out and not expected back until the end of the month from a broken right foot. Chris Higgins even played the middle between David Booth and Zack Kassian on Sunday before the Canucks shipped Schroeder back to the Chicago Wolves and recalled Ebbett.

Even when Kesler does return, that third-line centre concern is still there. The trade deadline is April 3 and the right UFA rental would only cost two later-round picks and bridge that centre gap until the offseason. Schroeder scored his first two NHL goals Feb. 9 against Calgary when he went to the middle with no fear, but faded fast with no goals and just nine shots in his last 13 games. Ebbett is a depth option. Maxim Lapierre is a fourth-liner.

3. YOUR TURN, LUONGO: The baton has been passed again and by this point it doesn’t really matter who’s holding it. Not dropping it is the key. Cory Schneider’s funky 2-3-3 run doesn’t look good and three-straight losses in which there was at least one goal he’d like to have back — and six starts where he surrendered the first goal — means Roberto Luongo starts on Tuesday in Columbus and maybe it will be the start of something special. Or not. He wasn’t good either in his last two outings and the foundation on what the Canucks have too often relied upon — great goaltending to bail out poor play — has shown some cracks. There can’t be McSofties or McShofties if the Canucks are going to top the Northwest Division for a fifth-consecutive season. There has to be the Luongo who rattled off four-straight wins earlier this season and gave up just four goals. And the guy who also blanked Nashville. Luongo’s future can be settled in the summer. He now needs to help settle down the Canucks.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the “X” in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

101 Greatest Canucks

The Province and its panel of experts have identified the 101 greatest Canucks of all time. See their choices!